All references cited in this specification, and their references, are incorporated by reference herein where appropriate for teachings of additional or alternative details, features, and/or technical background.
Disclosed is a device configured to serve the function of a mobile-phone while at the same time being capable of communicating directly with a medical implant on the body of a person through an electronic umbilical cord.
Since the advent of the first cell phone (Motorola Dyna-Tac™) in 1973, the vision of its inventor, Martin Cohen, for “people to be able to carry their phones with them anywhere” has been realized several times over. Now, the ubiquitous cell phones (mobile-phones) are everywhere and are being used for multitude purposes. With the great mobility that these devices have provided and provide, they have assumed the function of serving as instant portals to weather, traffic advisories, and more importantly, to medical devices that wirelessly alert the cell phone owner of personal critical health conditions.
Publication US 2008/0070599 by Jennifer Apodaca, et al., describes a “Combined Cell Phone and Medical Monitoring Apparatus”. The apparatus comprises a cellular phone or other wireless device combined with one or more medical monitoring devices, wherein the two devices share a single housing, power source, display, memory chip and data processor. The apparatus is capable of functioning as a separate medical apparatus and a normal cellular phone.
More specifically, according to Jennifer Apodaca, et al., the apparatus is directed to testing, monitoring diabetes indicators, and to storing, organizing, retrieving and transmitting test result and other medical data. The diabetes monitor of the invention measures blood sugar, though the invention is not limited to diabetes or the detection or monitoring of blood sugar.
Jennifer Apodaca, et al., show a block diagram of the apparatus 10 as illustrated in FIG. 1. The apparatus comprises a cell phone portion 15, blood sugar monitor portion 20 and a rigid housing (not shown). The cell phone portion 15 and the blood sugar monitoring portion 20 are secured within the housing. The cell phone portion 15 comprises a baseband portion 25, a radio module 30, a power amplifier module 35, a power management module 40, a rechargeable battery 45, a display 50, a keypad 55, an antenna 60, a filter diplexer 65 and a GPS receiver chip 70. The baseband module 15 comprises a baseband chip set, an audio module 75, and a radio to baseband interface 80, the audio module 75 comprising a microphone 90 and a speaker 95. The elements of the cell phone portion 15 are fixedly attached to the rigid housing.
Jennifer Apodaca, et al., describe the baseband chip set as comprising a data processing means and a data storage means. The data processing means is capable of processing data, extracting voice data from a microwave carrier, putting the outgoing voice on the carrier (modulation), controlling what data goes in and out of memory, taking in all commands, and/or outputting information to the display. The data processing means comprises a baseband processor and host controller 95. Keypad 55 allows the user/patient to interact with the data processing means. The central part of the baseband chip set portion 15, which is multi-functionally shared, provides the data storage means. The data storage means is operatively connected to the data processing means. The data storage means comprises random access memory (“RAM”) and flash memory. The flash memory retains its contents when the unit is turned off and can be rewritten repeatedly. The memory 97 stores the startup procedure for the cell phone, last location from the GPS data, phone numbers, readings from the blood sugar monitor 20 with time tags, the owners medical history, and other critical or pertinent information. The baseband portion further comprises the radio to baseband interface 80 and the audio chip 75, which is operatively connected to a microphone 90 and a speaker 95. The GPS receiver chip 70 is operatively connected to the data processing means and the filter diplexer 65. The data processing means is operatively connected, directly or indirectly, to every component of the apparatus.
The blood sugar monitor portion 20 is also constructed as a chip set and an electro mechanical/chemical apparatus or an electronic apparatus, but functions separately from the cell phone portion of the apparatus, as taught by Jennifer Apodaca, et al. The blood sugar monitor portion 20 comprises a sample collector 23. The sample can be collected with a conventional finger prick and sample absorber, according to Jennifer Apodaca, et al. The blood or fluid sample is analyzed by light or electrical spectroscopy. The cell phone's baseband processor 95 is used to control this operation, calculate the test result and then place the output data in the cell phone's memory. The results of this test, along with recent history of the last few tests, are then sent to the cell phone's display 50 for the user/patient interface. Initiation of the test is signaled though the phone keypad 55 which has one or more additional keys dedicated to the blood glucose monitor or other medical apparatus in the preferred embodiment. This information is recorded in the unit's memory 97 along with a time tag. An accurate time tag is obtained from various sources, including the GPS and the cell tower.
The user/patient controls the functions of the cell phone 15 and the medical apparatus 20 through the cellular phone's keypad, which is operatively connected to the data processing means. The key pad is combined with a printed circuit board having terminals corresponding to the buttons. Keypad 55 of the apparatus 10 preferably comprises additional buttons (not shown) with functions related to the medical apparatus. The additional medical button specifically accesses medical information stored in the data storage of the phone. The button would bring up a menu on the display with categories of stored information, such as medical history, allergies, current medications, conditions and treatments and test results. One or more additional buttons, the monitoring buttons, turn on and control the medical apparatus 10, which comprises a blood sugar monitor. Alternatively, a standard keypad can be used to access a menu of functions to control the medical apparatus 10.
As Jennifer Apodaca, et al further describe, having performed all these functions, the baseband module 15 outputs an audio signal to the radio module 30 to modulate a carrier. That carrier is amplified in the power amplifier module 35 and sent to the antenna 60 for transmission. The antenna is connected to the system via filter diplexer 65. The purpose of the diplexer is to separate the received signals. One received signal is the cell phone signal which comprises incoming communications. The other signal is a GPS signal. The latter signal is processed in the GPS receiver chip 70 that calculates the position of the unit on the Earth. That information is then stored in the data storage means and frequently updated. The calculated result is then preferably transmitted along with the audio modulated carrier so that the cell phone company and any emergency responding authority can decode the signal and determine where the call is originating.
Thus, Publication US 2008/0070599 by Jennifer Apodaca, et al., describes a cell phone and a medical apparatus that are combined in a housing where both reside distinct from each other.
Still another art, U.S. Pat. No. 7,265,676 by Paul G. Gordon, et al., describes an “Alert System”, and teaches “ . . . A Method for An Implantable Medical Device” as shown in FIG. 2.
System 100 of FIG. 2, communicates between patient 110 and clinician 120. Alert system 100 includes implantable medical device (“IMD”) 130 within patient 110, monitor 140, private network 150, patient management net-work 160, and patient management web clients 170/180 including patient browser 170 that is capable of displaying patient website 170a and clinician browser 180 that is capable of displaying clinician website 180a. 
According to Paul G. Gordon, et al., system 100 shown in FIG. 2 is an alerting system for alerting a clinician 120 to an occurrence of an event detected by the implantable medical device 130 such as a pacemaker or defibrillator. The implantable medical device 130 includes a means for detecting the occurrence of the event and initiating a wireless transmission of data related to the event. The monitor 140 is configured to receive the wireless transmission of data and transfer the data. The patient management network 160 is configured to receive the data through private network 150 and store the data on a data storage device 163. The patient management network includes a web presentation service 190 for creating a website from the data stored on the data storage device, the website 170/180 configured to alert the clinician to the occurrence of the event. The patient management network 160 also includes device data input and interpretation module 161, web presentation services module 165, user/patient/web data storage 167, and core services module 169.
While the devices so described above are useful, what is needed is a system that integrates the available electronic resources that already exist in compact and portable devices, such as any generic mobile phone, with a body implantable medical device such that the sensory data obtained from the implant device can be transmitted directly to the mobile device where the data can be analyzed and presented in a user/patient-friendly manner to the patient/user/patient and/or transmitted wirelessly to a remote location for further action, if necessary, without the need for additional medical equipment.